Fender mechanism.



E'. R'. MOUDY.

FENDER MECHANISM.

APPLICATION, FiLED MAR. l5. 9l8.-

Patented J une 1, 1918.

lbtowml u E. R. MOUDY.

FENDER MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED MR. I5. IHIS.

1 ,269,488. Patented 11111611, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 amm JIIIIIIII @.9

@IIIIII EARL'R. MOUD'Y; QFCHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

FENDERn :MECHANISM Specica-tionof LettersPa-tent.PatentedJ'llllelLlQlS.;

Application filed March 15,1918. Serial No. 222,758.

` Be itknownthatl, EARL R. MoUDLa citizen` of the United States,`residing vat Chester,Iv in the county of Delaware and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful VImprovements inFender Mechanism, of which the followingi's a specification. l

This invention relates to fender mechanism which is principally designedfor use on selffpropelled. vehicles although the'k principles may beutilized generally for the lfront fenders of'. moving bodies.l n

My main object is toV provide ai fender which is collapsible to foldaround a person', cattleor other objects which it maystrike duringtravel4 ofY the vehicle to which4 it is attachedin combinationwith ajnetor receivingstructure intowhich the captive may fall and besavedfrominjury;

Serviently, If aim to .devise the various ,features of. construction,arrangement, and combination ofthe parts, as will 'be minutely describedhereinafter, with reference toV accompanyingv drawings, showing onepreferred4 embodiment, and among which objects may be briefly mentionedpivoted armswithl 'aY sprin gcontrolledmeans to normally" maintain t 4emspread;` with means t'o automatically lock'themz'throu'gh engagement'with an object; with fender sections' (preferably padded) to directlystrike the object and: fold inwardly; ywith `a net means having a frame,operable through movement of'thesaid arms to move the net proper'toattaching position, and a spring-controlled. means to normally retractthe net.

, Inthe drawings y v Figure 11' iszav plan view showing my im'- provedfender mechanism associated with the front of an automobile;

Figj2 is aview ofthe parts o-fFig. 1in vertical centrali section Fig. 3is a detail perspective view of the net-extending'frame; 'f

Fig. 4s i'sl aJ fragmentary verticalr sectional viewjthrough the netcasingandspringcontrolled rollermeclianism; l. y

Fig. 5' isra cross-sectional view on the line 5 5 of'Fig. i; i

F'g. 6 is a viewmostly.- in vertical section,ofthe1neans for pivotallymounting the fender arms and driving `the" suspending means ofthe-net; jI' j "Figa 7 is a sideelevation'ofthevmeans Ifor mounting' thefender'arms taken ata different angle to Fig, 6,: l Fig.v 8v isa planview ofl the meansfr mountingthe fender arms andv driving thenet-extendingl means g Fig.y 9-is a detail side-'elevationoffene of thegear members-used? in connection Awith the net-extending means; l Fig.10 isan enlarged, fragmentary-view', shiwingthe fenderv proper intop. orplan, an l Y 'y Fig. 11 isa front" elevationA of the-'parts of Fig. 10:f

`Referring specifically' tothe drawings, vthefender proper is providedat A, being made preferably in -aplurality offcollapsible sections, laswill be-J later` specifically* de'- 5 scribed and beingcarried andmountedby angularly disposed'arms 12' which swing inwardly from pivotsof" attaching and mounting devices B', y' V Each attachingv andmountingI device' B preferably comprises twosections, namely 'astationary section 13` and a" movable-seotion 14'.V These sectionsliaveoverlapping `flanges at. 1'5. In any suitablemanner,` as by means ofU-bolts 16,? passingj through lateral extensions: or lugs-'17 ofsection13, the devices-B'may be rigidlysecured to` and atV the front end of theusualsidebeams-B, as suggested at 17 v, ofY anautomobile chassis.Beneath the beams 17,' the armsfwoff the lbolts may pass through a clampplate-[18,1 `and beyond said plate, the armsl may-receive fastening nuts1,9. Rising fromy and: centrally within the sectionl 13* isak bolt20which servesv vas* the bearingf orI pivot for arms12. This bolt` issecuredtothe 'bottom wall of section 13 in any desiredf manner, and forinstance. bymeans of the 'particu- .larly shaped head 21 as shown. TheAbolt 2'0Y eXtends'loosely through thetopfwall of 'are disposed withinthe sections 13Iand'14, jand normally` urge .the arms 12 toward'eachother and outofthe position shown inFig.

11 vTo this end, the spring is atvopposite ends, secured to the sections13. and/14', preferably by lextending the ends into sock'- ets 25 and f26, respectively, ofl said sections.

` Arms 12 l at their. outer] extremities, terminate in upwardly andforwardly projecting studs 27 which have screw threads so as todetachably ent-er the sockets provided with screw threads in heads orblocks 28, preferably ornamentally finished. Suitably fastened to therear of each of the blocks or heads 28, are hinge leaves 29, which bymeans of pintles 30 are hinged to fender bars orsections 31. Sections 31are bridged or joined by a fender bar or section 32. Sections 31 and 32are pivotally or hingedly connected together in any suitable manner asby means of the pintles 33. Outward movement of these fender sections 31and 32, is limited, by inwardly extending lugs or stops 34 provided onthe sections 31 and 32 adj acent the pivots 33 and which stops abut whenthe fender sections are in their normal position as shown in Fig. 1.

The device collapses into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1, aswill be later specifically described, and the parts are automaticallylocked in this position by a suitable means. One form of such means isbest shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Referring thereto, a dog 35 is pivotallyconnected to the section 26 by means of a removable set screw 36. Thedog at its lower end has a beveled wall 37 which coperates with the topof one of the lugs 38 so as to tilt in passing one of the lugs and thenfall between the lugs into the locked position as Fig. 7 shows. The dog35 cannot unduly tilt in the opposite direction since a bevel gear rack39 is disposed in the path of movement.

Said bevel gear rack 39 is formed integrally with and extends laterallyfrom the movable section 26. Meshing with the teeth of the bevel gearraclr 39 are segmental bevel gears L40, preferably mounted from thesections 13 by means of bolts 41. Intermediate the sections 13 and thesegments 40, sleeves or collars 42 are preferably disposed. Saidsegmental bevel gears 40 are screwed tightly onto the bolts 41 of anet-extending frame. The frame is preferably made in a single piece asshown in Fig. 3. From the ends 41, this frame has downwardly andrearwardly inclined arms 42 which lead to horizontal arms 43 joined by abridge or transverse arm 44. To the bridge 44,- a net 45 of any suitablewidth and material is connected. This net is flexible and by way ofexample, may be made from canvas.

The opposite end and surplusage of the net is wound around a roller orshaft 45 (see Figs. 2, 4 and 5) mounted in a cylinder or casing 47 andone end of which, 48, is removable to facilitate insertion and removalof the parts. This end 48 may be screwed to the casing proper shown. Atthe bottom of the casing an opening 5() is provided through which thenet 45 passes. A spiral spring 51 is fastened to shaft 45 as at 52 andalso to the casing as at 53. This spring is used to normally wind theshaft 45 to wrap the net around it and rewind the net after operation ofthe fender mechanism. In order .to prevent interference between the netand the spring 51, a removable disk or plate 54 may be interposedbetween them, surrounding the shaft 45 as shown in Fig. 4.

The casing 47 may be mounted at any desired location and from anyapproved part of the vehicle.` However, it is preferably mounted in thepresent instance from the front axle of the automobile, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2, by the means of U-shaped hangers or brackets. The axle isdesignated 55 and the hangers are designated 56. Set screws or bolts 57may clamp or fasten the hangers in place. The lhangers of course arerigidly secured to the casing in any approved manner.

In order that the construction involved in this invention may not beconfused with the present automobile structure, I have shown theautomobile structure for the most part in dot-dash lines. VThere will beno confusion therefore with the dotted lines representing positionswhich my improved apparatus may take. The automobile parts of course arealso merely diagrammatic and shown to enable a better understanding ofthe invention to be had. To thisv end, it may be mentioned that thefront wheels are shown at 58 and the propelling engine at 59.

It may be statedv too that I prefer the top of the fender sections 31and 32 to be disposed at a distance of two feet and ten inches in mostinstances above `the ground. At this height, the fender will; engage anadult below the hips and a child around the waist.l To minimize theimpact and injury to captive persons, the sections 31 and 32 on theirouter faces are preferably padded as at 60, in any approved manner. j

As the automobile or other vehicle travels and it strikes a personorfother object, ysection 32 of the fender will move directly backwardin the direction ofthe arrow to the dotted line position shown inFig. 1. Sections 31 will move in' the direction of their arrows into thedotted line position of the same ligure and armsr 12 willv also move tothe dotted line position as shownr in this view. Sections 31 and 32 movefrom the pivots 30 and 33, while the arms 12 move from the bearings 14on flanges 15. Springs 24 are not strongly tensioned and hence theapparatus will not injurethe captive during movement of the fender tothe dotted line position. The folded parts assume the shapesubstantially of a trianglev and surround the person or other object. Asthe parts described fold, the teeth of bevel gears 39, turn the bevelgears 40 and accordingly swing the frame 41-44 outwardly to. the ,v

may extend under the feetof'the captive After the parts move to thedotted line positions of Figs. l and 2, they automatically lock in thatposition by reason of the engagement of the dogs 35 intermediate thepins or lugs 38. In order to release the object or captive,7 the setscrews 36 are're-moved or loosened so that the dogs 35 may 'be'movedfrom between the lugs 38. After such removal, the operatormay restore'the arms`12 to the position of Fig. 1 and these arms will of coursemovethe fender Vsectionsto the usual position and the gear members 39and 40 Will restore the frame @fl-#14: to

its normal position, While the springs '51 Will rewindthe net.. Lugs 34prevent collapse of the fender until it again engages an object. r

I have shown merely one preferred embodiment of the invention, in viewVof which fact it is to be understood that I reserve the many changes inthe details of construction and arrangement and combination of the partsas maybe made, Within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim l. A fender mechanism having foldable fender sections to abut anobject, and means mounting said sections and foldable therewith.

2. A fender mechanism having a plurality of fender sections to abut anobject With the outermost section foldable inwardly to move the objectsubstantially toward the center.

3. A fender mechanism having a plurality of fender sections to abut anobject, one of said sections being movable rearwardly, and the remainingsections being movable kinwardly relatively theretothrough its rear-Ward movement.

et. A fender mechanism having a plurality of pivotally connectedsections foldable through abutment against an object, said sectionshaving stop mechanism to limit their extent of outward movement, meanssuspending the sections, means to pivotally mount said suspending means,and means associated With the second mentioned means to urge the secondmentioned means to fold during folding of the sections.

5. A fender mechanism having a plurality of arms, spring means to urgefolding of the arms, foldable fender sections mounted by said arms toabut an object, and means on the sections to prevent operation of thespring means until abutment with an obj ect.

6. A fender mechanism having a plurality of arms, operating spring meansfor the arms, foldab-le fender sections, and said sections being pivotedto each other and to said arms.

7 A fender mechanism having a plurality of arms, operating springstherefor, heads on the arms, hinge leaves extending from the heads,foldable fender sections, and

' means 'positively driven through movement initiated loyI the fender'to engage the object in aldifferentplane from tlr'e'plane of move- `mentof I the fender.`

10. Afender lmechanism yhaving an lout,-

`Wardly movable* net, mean'sto normally 'maintain the "net'r retractedand. to autonr'atically retract the net after jop'eratio'n, and

means to project'the net acting' counter to the ii'rst 'mentioned'inealsl 11, A fender mechanism having an out- Wardly `mov`a`ble "net, a'framle'to which the net is connected, said frame having side arms,gears secured to said side arms, means on which the gears are pivoted tomount the frame, and means to drive the gears to project the net.

12. A fender mechanism having a collapsible fender, pivotal mountingmeans therefor, having a xed section and a movable section, an objectsupporting device, a gear member-associated With the device and turnablymounted from the fixed section, and a gear member meshing With the firstmentioned gear member and movable With the movable section.`

13. A fender mechanism having a collapsible fender, pivotal mountingmeans therefor having a fixed section and a movable section, anobject-supporting net,and means mounted from said sections andpositively operable by movement initiated by the movable section toproject the net.l

14. A fender mechanism, having a collapsible fender, pivotal mountingmeans therefor, means to urge folding of the fender, means to normallyprevent folding of the fender, a net, means to project the net throughmovement of the fender, and means to retract the net.

15. A fender mechanism, having a fender comprising a plurality o-fsections, means to limit the outward movement of the sections, pivotalmounting means for the sections having a fixed section and a movablesection, means to urge movement of the movable section inwardly to foldthe fender sections, stop means on the fender sections,fa net,l gearingmeans operable by movement of the movable section to project the net,and means to retract the net after projection.

16. A collapsible fender having a pivotal mounting means comprising axed section and a movable section, a bolt adjoining the sections, aspring surrounding the bolt and at opposite ends being `seeurerl to there- Spectlve sections, and cooperating iastening means on the sectionsengageable to fasten ying means therefor, said mean having a. fixedsection and a movable section, a plv- `oteclclog on one of the sections,and keeper means fory the dog on the other section.

. 18. A collapsible fender having a pivotal mounting means comprising aplurality of sections, one of said sections being movable, a. clogpivoted to said movable section, keeper means on the othei section forsaid dog, and abutment means on the movable section for the dog toprevent undue movement in the improper direction.

19. A collapsible fender having an arm, pivotal mounting means therefor,comprising a vfixed section and a movable section, one section restingon the other section, and the sections at the junction havingoverlapping anges, a bearing joining the sections, a spring surroundingthe bearing and connected to each section, a gear member extendinglaterally rom the movable section, an object supporting means operablefrom the said gear member, a dog pivotecl to the movable section, saidgear member lying in the path of movement of the clog in one direction,and keeper means on the iXefl section engageable by the clog.

In testimony whereof, I have a'liixed my signature in the presence oftwo Witnesses.

EARL R. MOUDY.

TWitnesses:

CLAUDE W. REIDER, EUGENE E. HARRAR.

Copievs of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G."

